European leaders push back against Washington’s proposal for a broader security framework, warning that Moscow cannot dictate the continent’s future as US-led peace negotiations over Ukraine prepare to resume in Abu Dhabi.
European leaders push back against Washington’s proposal for a broader security framework, warning that Moscow cannot dictate the continent’s future as US-led peace negotiations over Ukraine prepare to resume in Abu Dhabi.
You could argue that Russia lost its (it’s = it is) superpower status at the end of the cold war. They were very weak during the Yeltsin era, probably weaker than the EU. But that is no longer true. Russia is slowly grinding the Ukrainian army - an army three times the size of the French - while outproducing the US and EU combined three to one in shells. I still think they are the weakest of the three superpowers - but they are definitely not the Russia of 1995.
But I believe that if the EU is divided up, the majority of the spoils will go to the US. It will not be an Iran-style invasion. Iran is a single large country that has been preparing for a US attack for decades; the EU is a collection of smaller states, some led by politicians who would happily sell out their neighbours to the US. So the US will probably ‘divide and rule’ - offer to spare (or even help) countries / politicians who bend the knee, while blockading, sanctioning, or otherwise punishing the holdouts. An exception might be made for France - they have ‘the bomb’ and so would probably be let alone.